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Fifteen months after they did their last live concert, Lynneard Skynyrds returned to the stage on Friday to get rid of Rust. Southern rock giants closed Night One from the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, a country-leaning multi-day festival in Panama City Beach, Florida, that featured major groups from Brad Paisley and Luke Bryan.
Naturally, they ended their show with “Free Bird,” a 1973 marathon of stage guitar performances—a comically wanted song in gigs that Jason Isbell recently warned against yelling at his own shows. “Someday someone will know every note about him. And that is the day you will hear the Friber bird,” he tweeted. “Maybe it’s us, because we can get the birds out of a dead sleep on a Sunday morning.”
Skynyrd’s 2021 lineup can definitely “free fly”. Founding guitarist, Gary Rossington, anchored the band’s thousandth version with a power ballad in the Gulf Coast Jam, nailing all the requirements: piano introduction and separation by member Peter Keys; Rote Book by singer Johnny Fant (“I’m free as a bird now… What do you think?!”); And his witty gull-like slide work of Rosington.
But it’s the height of the guitar craze that defines Free Bird. And over the past few decades, that has meant letting Ricky Medlock run wild. On Friday, 96-year-old Skynyrd guitarist pounded in front of his Gibson Explorer, frowned at the crowd, and walked down the podium alongside guitarist Mark Matejka for a solid eight minutes, before the entire production ended on a call based on movie credits for members The current Skynyrd, original, later and former – many of them died.
This commitment to the band’s history is at the heart of Lynyrd Skynyrd. When the band plays “Free Bird,” images of old members like Ronnie van Zant float like ghosts, sparking cheers. It’s also one of the reasons the group rethought their final tour. On Tuesday, the band announced a new series of dates for 2021 – the Big Wheels Keep on Turnin’ Tour takes the place of the Street Survivors’ Final Farewell Tour.
“We’re back, doing shows, and we’re going to finish what we started,” said Johnny Van Zant. “We miss people who sing songs and have a good time, and that’s what Skynyrd is all about.”
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